Page 28 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

She met his gaze and held it."I feel safe around you."

A rush of warmth filled his chest.Her words meant more to him than he knew how to explain.All he could say was, "That’s because you are.I’ll go and get us that coffee."

He opened the bedroom door but turned to look back at her before he left.There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how.And even if he could find the words, he didn’t know if she’d want to hear it.

He went with, "I’m glad you’re here."But it didn’t feel like enough.

In the kitchen, he went to check his phone while the coffee was brewing.He smiled when he saw a text from Travis.

Trav: Hey, bud.Do you want to come to the MacFarland place for lunch today?I didn't ask you yesterday because I didn't know if we were going.Retta decided she wants to, so we'll be there.You should come.Give me a call and let me know.

Trip set his phone back down.He wouldn't mind going over to the MacFarland place to hang out with everyone.But if Shelley was open to spending the day with him, he’d rather stay here with her.

He checked the clock on the microwave.It was still early.He didn’t need to let Travis know just yet.When the coffee was ready, he prepared two mugs and set them on a tray, along with a plate of chocolate croissants that Maisie had baked.

As he made his way back upstairs, the irony wasn’t lost on him that Katrina used to complain all the time that he never did little things like bringing her breakfast in bed or sending her flowers.He hadn’t wanted to do things like that for her.Maybe in the beginning he had, but once it had started to feel like an expectation, all the enjoyment had gone out of it for him.

He looked down at the tray in his hands.He knew this wasn’t the same situation—far from it.Shelley didn’t expect a damn thing from him.And yet, he was already trying to dream up little things he could do for her.She was the kind of person who looked for little details to be happy about, and she always showed her appreciation.

That thought made him smile.For the short time she was still going to be here, he was going to do everything he could to give her reasons to be happy.He wasn’t a fool—he didn’t think anything he did might persuade her to stay.That wasn’t his motivation.

It was simply that he wanted both of them to be able to look back on this time as a happy period in their lives.Maybe even one of the happiest.

~ ~ ~

It was almost seven by the time Shelley got home on Sunday evening.She hadn't intended to spend the whole day at Trip's place, but she was glad that it had worked out that way.They'd hung out in bed until almost ten o’clock.She squeezed her thighs together.They'd made good use of that time—and not just drinking coffee and eating pastries.

When they finally got up, they’d had a lot of fun making breakfast together, joking around as they worked side by side.After they'd eaten, they’d spent the rest of the day just hanging out.They hadn't done much of anything in particular, but it had been a great day.

The only moment she'd felt uncomfortable had been when Trip's friend, Travis, had called.She could tell from Trip's end of the conversation that he was inviting him out somewhere.She'd waved at him, trying to tell him that he should go.She didn't want to hold him back.Even while he was still talking, he'd smiled and shook his head.

After he ended the call, he'd told her Travis had wanted him to go to the MacFarland Ranch for lunch.She'd started gathering her things, telling him that he should go, but he'd wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him, saying that he didn't want to go; that he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her.

As she let herself into the house, she looked around.It was a perfectly lovely little house, but over the course of the weekend, she'd come to feel much more at home at Trip's place than she ever had here.She made a face as she took her duffel bag to the laundry room.She shouldn't make too much out of that.

Who wouldn't feel more at home in Trip's multimillion-dollar mansion than they did here?

She stopped, hand midair, reaching for the laundry detergent, when it hit her that the answer to that question was her.She'd never been the kind of person who was into big houses or luxury cars or any of the trappings of wealth.She and Jeff had lived in a modest house when they were married, and since then, she'd been living her nomadic life, renting smaller, more economical houses or apartments.

Of course, she made sure that they were in safe areas, and they tended to be quaint and quirky rather than basic, but she was more concerned with comfort and security than luxury.She smiled to herself as she turned on the washing machine.That was the explanation for why she felt so at home at Trip's place.It had less to do with the house and more to do with him.

With Trip, she felt both comfortable and safe.

The sound of her phone ringing had her hurrying back to the kitchen and rummaging through her purse for it.When she found it, she smiled when she saw Harper's name on the screen.

"Hey, you," she answered with a smile."Sorry I haven't replied to your email yet.It's been a busy weekend.How are you?"

Harper laughed."You don't need to apologize.I'm not calling to harass you.I just have an empty evening stretching out ahead of me, so I thought I'd give my friend a call and check in.And to answer your question, I'm fine, thanks.How are you?"

"I'm good."

"What are you up to?Do you have an empty evening stretching out ahead of you, too?And what's with the busy weekend?What have you been up to?"

Shelley pressed her lips together, trying to hold in a smile.She knew damn well what Harper's reaction would be if she told her how she'd spent the weekend.Her friend knew her too well.

"The silence is stretching out for too long," Harper said."You've been up to something, and you're debating whether you should tell me or not.I vote that you should."

Shelley laughed."All right, all right, but don't get too carried away, okay?"

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